Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The Frontstretch Newsletter: April 3rd, 2013

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

April 3rd, 2013
Volume VII, Edition XLIX

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Top News
by Tom Bowles

Joey Logano Responds Nationally To Criticism Regarding Hamlin, Fontana

Penske Racing's newest young prodigy is speaking out and "standing up" for himself one week after a last-lap wreck with Denny Hamlin left him the target of a NASCAR media firestorm. Joey Logano, in his highest-profile interview since the incident, sat down with Marty Smith of ESPN to explain his side of the rivalry, the latest chapter of which has ended with Hamlin out for six weeks with a back injury.

"Well, you feel like you got done wrong, alright?" Logano claimed when asked how the past month has affected the relationship with his one-time teammate. "You know, got spun out. So it doesn't help."

The 22-year-old, who has been criticized for both his post-race comments and the wreck itself was adamant in that both were misinterpreted. Logano, when interviewed had said "That's what he gets" upon exiting his car, following the checkered flag while Hamlin was lying down on the asphalt, struggling to breathe while being loaded into an ambulance.

"My number one goal is to go win a race," he said. "So did I intentionally wreck him? No, I did not intentionally do that. If I was going to do that I would have hit him in the left-rear tire. I hit him in the door. It's hard racing at that point. I hate that he got hurt. I feel like the comments after the race that I made were taken way out of context. My mind wasn't straight and I didn't know Denny was hurt. There was no way for me to know. And it got taken way out of context."

As for Tony Stewart, the man Logano once replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing the youngster doesn't hold any hard feelings towards him. After being blocked for the lead, the now driver/owner of the No. 14 claimed Logano was a "rich kid who never worked a day in his life" and threatened, on television and in between swear words to beat him up.

"You can say it the same way as my comments made after my race – heat of the moment," he continued. "Our sport, we don't have time to take a deep breath, give me 15 minutes to regain my thoughts, and what the heck just happened, and let me watch a replay and see all this. I'm the same Joey Logano I've always been. I'm still happy-go-lucky. I'm very competitive. That's never going to change, you know what I mean? I'm still who I've always been. But I don't get walked on."

The full interview was run on NASCAR Now Wednesday morning and should be archived on the ESPN website in the near future.

NASCAR Launches New Program Aimed At Cleaning Up Environment

NASCAR's "Green Initiative" took another step up Tuesday, with the announcement of two new programs designed to enhance the world around us. The first, called NASCAR Race To Green has a goal of planting as many trees as possible in areas devastated by natural disasters. Calling on teams, employees, and even fans to donate, every $1 given will be used to purchase a 2-3 foot sapling for planting.

In the meantime, sponsor UPS is already ensuring those goals have one heck of a head start. Part of NASCAR's second launch, the Green Air Clean Tree Planting Program, the company will "deliver" the planting of 8,000 trees across the country to ensure all the carbon emissions of NASCAR's top three series will be fully absorbed – with no harm to the environment. That total includes 90 in each market where cars currently race, from the forestry of Northeast Pennsylvania (Pocono) to even the desert area down in Phoenix, Arizona.

"UPS shares NASCAR's commitment to operating sustainably and doing our part to protect and preserve the environment," said Ron Rogowski, UPS Vice President, global brand and sponsorships in announcing the project. "Last year, we launched an initiative to plant one million trees worldwide that aims to reduce and offset carbon emissions. At UPS, we are always looking for ways to apply our sustainability experience to everything that we do."

Now five years old, the sport's Green Initiative has quietly become one of the most powerful national forces when it comes to environmental awareness. You wouldn't think it, considering the pollution often associated with cars in past decades, but there's a commitment to fixing those past mistakes, from the manufacturers that support this sport which rides all the way to the top of the ladder.

"Our NASCAR Green activities this month comprise our most ambitious and collective effort to date in reducing our sport's impact on the environment," said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. "With the help of our industry, some best-in-class partners, and most importantly our fans, NASCAR has become the leader in sustainability across all sports and has had a substantive impact in creating awareness and positively changing consumer behaviors around Green."

The sport will host a public event this Friday to kick off the initiatives while its advertising partner, Ogilvy & Mather, has a 30-second spot on NASCAR Green set to hit the airwaves Kansas weekend.

News 'N' Notes

Over in IndyCar, A.J. Foyt has announced he'll run Conor Daly in one of his cars for May's Indianapolis 500. An Indiana native, just 22 years old, Daly hasn't even run Indy Lights since 2011 but will be attempting his 500 debut... A.J. Allmendinger, while excited remains dumbfounded over his open-wheel opportunity this Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. It's part of a two-race deal with Roger Penske, who hired him on the Cup level full-time in 2012 only to fire him after a failed drug test. "Do I feel I deserve a second chance?" he told the AP's Jenna Fryer. "No. Not from him. I brought bad light to his name. Do I feel I've worked hard to get a second chance? Yes. I've worked hard every day, put my head down and worked my butt off and I'm lucky enough to have someone like Roger Penske take another shot with me." The 'Dinger's schedule with the team, as of now includes just the Indy 500 Memorial Day Weekend; however, if all goes well Sunday Long Beach on April 21st will be a strong possibility... Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be a part of a new program Sprint has announced to help reduce texting while driving. Titled the Sprint Drive First program, it comes paired with a new application rollout that will block texts from coming into someone's phone, instead letting the sender know they're driving and they'll "get back to them when their trip is complete." "Texting and driving, as we all know can be really dangerous," Earnhardt said about the project Tuesday. "It's just a good way to be a part of a campaign that has a message."

Have news for Tom and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at ashland10@mail.com with a promising lead or tip.


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Today's Featured Commentary
WTF Wednesdays
Improving Driver Safety: It's About More Than SAFER Barriers
by Ellen Richardson

As I am sure every NASCAR fan is now aware, Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, is expected to be off track for about six weeks while he recovers from a compression fracture in his lower back, the result of a very hard hit to an inside wall at Auto Club Speedway following the last lap tangle with Joey Logano.

I am aware that this is old news; what isn't is the fact that several drivers, analysts and fans are insisting that safer barriers now be installed and maintained on walls all the way around this track.

As my favorite know-it-all FOX Analyst, Darrell Waltrip, stated in a recent Sporting News column, "Knowing what we know today about safety, there is no excuse for not having SAFER Barriers all the way around every track.  It would have made all the difference in the world for Hamlin at Fontana. That boy wouldn't have a hurt back now if there were SAFER Barriers in place there.  He would have climbed out of the car and just been mad at Joey Logano over their wreck. … at 200 miles per hour, cars can go places you never dreamed of.  So, why take that chance?"

While I am all for anything to keep these drivers and anyone else involved in this sport safe, I feel that it is time for NASCAR to take advice from many off-road drivers and replace the current carbon fiber seats with back-friendly suspension seats.

Why suspension seats?

The idea behind a suspension seat is to reduce the amount of force transferred to the driver's back.  As the name implies, suspension seats suspend the driver in a web of bungee-type cords to reduce the G-force sustained by both the body and lower back by a magnitude of one G or more.  The type of injury that was sustained by Hamlin occurs when a vertebra in the spine collapses, which often is the result of a vertical shock to the area.  In this crash, Hamlin's car bounced off the inside wall so hard that all four wheels came off the ground, and it returned even harder to the asphalt.  This is the same kind of G-force that the back could feel in a high speed off-road race.  

Although the current carbon fiber seats, coupled with the HANS head and neck restraint system, provide some protection from damaging G-forces, including those previously sustained to drivers rib cages and ankles, they do nothing to support the lower back.

Not to reveal my rapidly increasing age, but I can recall a time when NASCAR was implementing this carbon composite seat in an effort to eliminate or lower the instances of rib cage and ankle injuries. Of course, this seat made its debut onto the NASCAR Sprint Cup Scene following Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001.

As then, NASCAR's managing director of competition, Gary Nelson, stated "A strong seat is the driver's friend."  If this is still the case, then it's time for another change!    

Back problems continue to rise in this sport.  Other than Denny Hamlin, who has had ongoing minor back problems that undoubtedly have a lot to do with continuous wear and tear from his now non-supportive seat, Jeff Gordon has also endured years of back problems that has his fans worried about early retirement.  Several drivers in the IndyCar Series have also suffered similar injuries due to this ongoing issue.  In 2011, Will Power sustained a compression fracture in his lower back following the crash that killed Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Power spent three months in a back brace afterwards.

Power continues to feel the effects of this injury, and, unless something changes, Hamlin will more than likely do the same.  I am also willing to bet money that other injuries of this nature will continue to occur even with the addition of SAFER Barriers.  I realize that each new innovation is going to mean additional dollars spent, but wouldn't we want this money to go to improving safety versus implementing a new car every few years…WTF?

Ellen Richardson is a Newsletter Contributor for Frontstretch.com.  She can be reached via e-mail at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com.  

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GOT A NASCAR QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
That's right; our Fan Q & A column is back once again in 2013. Send your question Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com and if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print on Thursday when she does her weekly column. It's all part of our daily mission to give back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat!

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Tweet 'N' Greet
by Kevin Rutherford

Editor's Note: With the NASCAR Twitter community expanding by leaps and bounds, it remains a place for instantaneous news, reactions, and a whole lot of inside jokes. We understand if you don't want to join the Twitter community - but as a fan, it's important to know the news and info you're missing out on! That's why, every week, Kevin Rutherford will sort through the thousands of messages and give us a little taste of what's going on each Wednesday.

So, without further ado, here's a look at what those in NASCAR were thinking over the past seven days...

@dennyhamlin: This just in.. I'll give away the drivers seat to the #11 car at Dega to one of my followers. #confused

@BrianLVickers:
Grt waking up this morning 2 chance 2 drive 11 Thx @joegibbsracing and @FedEx for the opportunity to support @dennyhamlin Get well soon bud!

@Elliott_Sadler: Want to say thanks to everyone for their tweets... We got great news coming soon... #willallmakesense

@DavidStremme: How about @WidowWax coming on board for @MartinsvilleSwy pic.twitter.com/bMSqwuuOrg

@gbiffle: Emma's getting ready for her first driving lesson pic.twitter.com/mvhRsBjBu7

@DanicaPatrick: Just met the the whole Obama family including their dog Bo! http://img.ly/tRn1

@LowLightNLeft (Clay Rogers):
Ricky Hendrick would have been 33 today, had some great races with him out at concord, thoughts with HMS today. #RIP pic.twitter.com/ICJAbD8hOl

@TimmyHillRacer: I got my @SunocoRacing gear in the mail! Glad to be a Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender! pic.twitter.com/R05anYdO6O

@Team_Onion (Todd Bodine): There you have it. @Team_Onion will be in the 13 @toyotaracing Tundra @ThorSportRacing for Martinsville. #SealMaster to sponsor.

@bscottracing (Brian Scott): I mean.... How do you not buy a tuxedo bandana for your dog?! What a handsome Kemper dog! http://instagram.com/p/XnL1ePMzC2/

@ericmcclure: Found out this wk Miranda is expecting a girl (surprise!) Looking forward to welcoming our 5th sweet daughter this summer. #blessed

@JClements51 (Jeremy Clements): Next week we're starting something new. Pay attention thru the week and you could win a chance to have your name on my car for a race wknd.

@RossChastain: Cleaning out the race shop & found this gem from '05. Remember this @keselowski pic.twitter.com/yfPXRgDawt

@RyanNewman39: Long day of riding-which wouldnt be as much fun if we didn't stuck. Few times. Here is a pick of my friend Bud pic.twitter.com/WclcwtOAcz

@TimAndrews_: Chase miller getting married!! http://instagram.com/p/Xf1Bbdl-I1/

@BlakeKochRacing: I always wonder where all my pens in the house disappear to, I found them ALL in @ShannonLKoch car!!!

@pkligerman (Parker Kligerman): The best burger in the world. No ands,if, or But's... #ShakeShack http://instagram.com/p/XdQ8k3SF5d/

@AndyLally: Just had a dream. There was a hurricane, but I HAD to travel through it. Friend showed up with 2 things: A raincoat..& a MONSTER TRUCK! #Win

@keselowskibrian:
Glad to announce that we will be adding the Sprint Cup race @Richmond to our schedule. Also will be announcing associate sponsorship soon

@RobbyGordon:
".@JimGoMWR55: Hey Robby Love what your doin in @SSuperTrucks! any plans on return to #NASCAR? #TeamToyo" focused on SST, this is the future
 
Kevin Rutherford is a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via email at kevin.rutherford@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Surfwax83.

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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:

by Matt Stallknecht and Kevin Rutherford

compiled by Michael Mehedin

by Toni Montgomery

by Tom Bowles

by the Frontstretch Staff

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
 
Q: In 1998, Bobby Hamilton won the pole for the Goody's Headache Powders 500 at Martinsville, then dominated the race to win.  But what happened Friday afternoon immediately before his qualifying run?
 
Check back Thursday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
 
Tuesday's Answer:

Q: In the 1991 Hanes 500 at Martinsville, Sterling Marlin was forced to take relief during the event.  Why did Marlin need relief, and who did Junior Johnson's team get to temporarily replace Marlin?

A: Two weeks earlier, Marlin was burned in a fiery crash in the Valleydale 500 at Bristol.  Junior Johnson ended up tapping Charlie Glotzbach to relieve Marlin at Martinsville (Marlin did start the race, allowing him to get the points).  Unforunately, Glotzbach was involved in a crash during the race and finished 28th, 98 laps down.

Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee:  If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs!  If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!

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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Phil Allaway
-- 
What's Vexing Vito by Vito Pugliese
-- Critic's Annex by Phil Allaway
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, the Line of the Week and more!

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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:


Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
Your favorite Frontstretch writers are back to discuss a variety of different subjects. This week's topics include Denny Hamlin's Chase hopes, post-injury; a refresher on Camping World Truck Series topics; the most underreported story of 2013, in our experts' eyes and so much more!

Frontstretch Fan Q&A by Summer Bedgood
Summer takes on your NASCAR questions and answers them to the best of her ability. Be sure to send your questions in if there's something that's been nagging at you and you might see your name in print.

Tech Talk by Mike Neff
Mike has a Sprint Cup Series crew chief stop by to talk about the technical side of NASCAR. This week, Shane Wilson stops by to talk about the progression of the sport's Gen-6 so far this season -- along with giving you a preview of what to expect at Martinsville's short track.

Fantasy Racing by Jeff Wolfe
Jeff brings fantasy racing back to Frontstretch this season. This week, he takes a look at your best bets for picking your roster out for Martinsville.

Truckin' Thursdays by Beth Lunkenheimer
Beth is back with all of the latest and greatest to come out of the Truck Series as the division closes out its extended break. Back in action this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Beth takes a look at the upcoming debut of Chase Elliott, and his budding career as the son of a legendary racer himself.
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2013 Frontstretch.com

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